Amount in dispute
The monetary value at stake in a legal dispute — it determines court and attorney fees as well as which court has jurisdiction.
In the case of a monetary claim, the amount in dispute (Streitwert) is generally the amount claimed; interest and costs that are only requested incidentally are not included (§ 4 ZPO (Code of Civil Procedure)). For other disputes, there are specific rules, such as in a dispute regarding the termination of an employment relationship, where it is at most the amount of three months' salary (§ 42 Abs. 2 GKG (Court Costs Act)). The fees according to the GKG and RVG (Act on the Remuneration of Lawyers) are derived from the amount in dispute. In Germany, it also determines the court: up to €10,000, the Amtsgericht (Local Court) is generally responsible (threshold since January 1, 2026); above that, the Landgericht (Regional Court) is responsible, where mandatory legal representation (Anwaltszwang) applies.
¹Note: This definition is for general orientation only and does not replace legal advice for your case.
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